Minimally-invasive medical procedures have become quite common over the past twenty or thirty years. Such procedures allow entry to a surgical site within the patient's body by endoscopic or laparoscopic means. An endoscope is a device that allows surgeons to perform minimally-invasive surgical procedures via a natural body opening, such as a throat or a urethra, to access the surgical site. In laparoscopic procedures, a small incision in made in the patient, in order to allow access to the abdomen or other site in the patient. After access is gained, medical devices may then use a natural body pathway, such as a vascular, renal or biliary pathway, to access the surgical site. Using minimally-invasive procedures helps avoid trauma to the patient by minimizing the pathway used to access the surgical site.
Once the surgeon and one or more medical tools have reached the surgical site, the procedure may begin. Often, however, the medical tool, such as a forceps or a grasper, is not precisely placed in order to perform its function. The surgeon may thus need to remove the medical tool from the site and re-introduce the tool so that it is properly placed and oriented in order to cut, grasp or otherwise perform its function. This may require several iterations, prolonging the operation and adding to the discomfort of the patient. These iterations should be minimized.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.